November 12, 2024 • 31 mins
When the New Orleans Pelicans take the court at Smoothie King Center, they're not just playing basketball – they're celebrating the soul of a city renowned for its distinctive culture, resilience, and community spirit. This captivating conversation with Mel Barry, Senior Director of Brand Marketing for the Pelicans, reveals how the organization has masterfully woven the essence of New Orleans into every aspect of their brand.
"If you love New Orleans, it'll love you back," Barry shares. This philosophy guides how the team approaches fan engagement across an increasingly complex ecosystem of touchpoints – from the in-arena experience to broadcast partnerships, social media, merchandise, and community initiatives.
What sets the Pelicans' approach apart is their deep understanding of audience segmentation. They recognize that different fans are motivated by different experiences: some seek premium all-inclusive packages, others respond to themed nights or giveaways, while community groups connect through specially designed experiences like Veterans Appreciation Night. This nuanced understanding allows the marketing team to craft personalized journeys that resonate with diverse fan segments.
Technology plays a crucial role in this strategy, enabling the team to conduct sophisticated A/B testing across platforms, build comprehensive fan profiles, and deliver increasingly personalized communication. Yet Barry emphasizes that the human element remains paramount – particularly in how the organization supports players' personal brands and community initiatives.
Perhaps most compelling is Barry's description of those magical moments when everything aligns – when 20,000 fans rise to their feet in unison, creating an electric atmosphere that transcends the game itself. Even in defeat, as when fans gave the team a standing ovation after a playoff elimination, these shared experiences forge powerful emotional connections that keep fans coming back season after season.
Ready to experience the unique blend of basketball and New Orleans culture? Join the Pelicans faithful and discover why this team has captured the heart and soul of one of America's most distinctive cities.
Recorded Tuesday, November 12th, 2024
Host: Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation
Guest: Mel Barry, Senior Director of Brand Marketing, New Orleans Pelicans
Producer: Peter Yagecic, Innovation Advisor, Situation
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Peter Yagecic (00:19):
You're listening to Fandom Unpacked, the podcast.
An audio version of our regularlivestream series where we
unpack modern fandom with someof the brightest minds in sports
and entertainment.
I'm producer Peter Yagecic, andin today's episode, we'll hear
a conversation between our host,Damian Bazadona, CEO and
Founder of Situation Group, andMel Barry, senior director of
brand marketing for the NewOrleans Pelicans.
This was a great conversationabout NBA fandom and local
communities rallying around thehome team.
Here's Damian and Mel.
Damian Bazadona (00:33):
Nice to see everybody.
Mel and I actually go back manyyears and it's just crazy.
We reconnected more recently,but many years back are her days
at Spocko.
I saw a bunch of Spocko peopleon the RCP list.
So, yes, some former folks here, which is awesome.
But let's get into it.
Like, let's.
Obviously I'm a big NBA fanoverall, but tell me what it's
like to be a Pelicans fan.
(00:54):
Like, give me the vibe.
Like, what is it like and howwould you describe it?
Mel Barry (01:17):
Yeah, I think the cool thing about our city is
that you know, if you're here,you love the culture, if you
live here, right, and if you'recoming to visit, you're here to
experience it.
And so we try to, you know,embrace all of the things about,
you know, New Orleans that areamazing, whether it be, you know
, the music, the food, withinour brand, within the ways that
we recognize, whether it be atheme or a holiday or something
like that.
And so I think our view of aPelicans fan is someone who
loves New Orleans, loves theGulf South and wants to join us
(01:38):
in celebrating all the wonderfulthings about it and how we
support each other during all ofthe good times and the bad.
So I think that's somethingthat's, you know, kind of the
vibe of New Orleans in general,and so we try to, you know, keep
that something that we amplifywith the team.
Damian Bazadona (01:53):
Yeah, I was gonna say it seems like the city
is a massive part, just theculture of the city, and I feel
like the Saints had an awesomegame on Sunday which is
obviously the NFL a differentsport altogether, but it's a
sports town.
So I'm assuming that just makesall of New Orleans that much
more happy, which makes themmuch more happy when they go to
the Pelicans game.
Mel Barry (02:11):
Absolutely, I think it's, yeah, it's something that
the city thrives on and they'regreat too.
I mean, obviously you can't winthem all, but when you do,
everyone comes to work with alittle pep in their step.
Um, and then, obviously, withinour organization, um, the
Pelicans are are owned by thesame entity as the Saints, and
so you know, we have a lot ofthe same.
(02:32):
You know, uh, it's, it's a lotmore fun to come in on Monday
after a win, uh, you know, andand if not, you know, it's on to
the next.
Everyone's always reallyfocused on the next game,
whether it be basketball orfootball, but it really
definitely gives you somethingto smile about when you come to
work on Monday that you're inthe dub club again, as you will.
Damian Bazadona (02:51):
Let's build into the Just how you look at
marketing overall, integratedfor the entirety of the Pelicans
brand, because it just seemslike this is the most amazing
NBA, which I think does anincredible job of all of the
different fan touch points thatexist.
From watching game, I mean, wewatch the games here on the NBA.
Pass um between watching thegames, uh, on TV, or streaming
(03:14):
in person, uh, gaming, right, mykids, we play NBA 2k, which
they I still am actually decentat.
I've been playing some versionof NBA and gaming for years, but
collectibles, like my soncollects sports cards and we got
our Zion card and stuff.
I just feel like there's so manydifferent touch points that are
happening at any given momentin time.
(03:34):
How do you and I know this isan impossible question, but it
is important, I'm just trying tounderstand how do you as an
organization sort of stay allinterconnected, because I'm
assuming a massive part of yourrole is selling tickets to the
games, obviously, but all theseother touch points, right,
they're all like whichever touchpoint someone takes is equity
in the brand.
How do you guys think about theoverall integration of all
(03:55):
those moving parts?
Mel Barry (03:57):
No, that's a good question.
I think it's a lot of likecommunication, right, again, we
all have to have the same goalsin mind and priorities so that
we are executing on the samethings and it doesn't feel
disjointed across the different,different channels.
And so some of those thingshappen through, through like
partnerships is what we wouldcall them.
So, for example, our, ourbroadcast partner, the TV
station that has the affiliateswithin our market, that that
(04:19):
broadcasts our games over theair, that's a partnership, and
so we work with them tounderstand how they're promoting
the games and talking abouttune-in, talking about our
players, talking about the team,and so you know they may not be
under our roof but we haveregular, you know, kind of
conversations with them and youknow set out, you know, at the
beginning of the season, thegoals for I mean for this year
is mostly education, because wechanged our broadcast partner
(04:41):
between Bally's and now we'rewith Gray, which is over the air
, and so, anyway, those are thetypes of things that we're, you
know, making sure that from ourend, we're telling our fans,
because they're coming to us forthat information, but then also
the way that they're receivingthat message, whether it be
broadcast or you know, obviously, like the things we can control
are a little bit easier,whether you know, like our
social channels, our website,you know anything that we're
(05:10):
putting in paid we do a lot of.
You know PR, obviously, likereleases, or you know, sending
our folks out into the marketsto talk about the things that
are going on for the team, andso it's just you know it's not
easy for sure, and it, you know,sometimes you have to.
You know, kind of there's firedrills and you're like this is
important today and it wasn'timportant yesterday, right, you
know, kind of there's firedrills and you're like this is
important today and it wasn'timportant yesterday, right, so
everyone's got to be very nimble, but I mean, I think that's
(05:31):
across most sports, right, youjust got to be flexible.
Damian Bazadona (05:31):
You got to understand that there are a lot
of things outside of yourcontrol, and so what you can
control is how you're workingwith the people who are, you
know, putting out these messagesand kind of you know you're
supplying with the right assetsand tools to do that I find, um,
you said the word nimble and Ido think prior to our this
interview, I saw in the weather,like a week ago they said you
guys were buffing it down for amajor tropical storm or
(05:54):
potential hurricane comingthrough on this date, and I just
think of all the different youtalk about, like nimble, I can
only imagine what it's likeinside your offices trying to
navigate on this ongoing basis.
Whether it's a hurricane orit's a player controversy or
whatever it might be.
There's all these differentmoving dynamics which I'm sure
make things fun on a daily basisand no two days are the same.
Mel Barry (06:14):
No, you're absolutely right.
I have never showed up bored.
I have never been like, well,what are we going to?
You know, this fire seemsreally boring and I'm not going
to pay attention to it.
No, there's always something.
Like you said, the weather isone, especially in our market,
and you know there's other teamswho have been impacted by this
as well, like one of ourpreseason games was canceled
because Orlando was under, youknow, a hurricane, a hurricane
(06:37):
warning, and so you know it'scertainly something we kind of
deal with.
But in this region especially,you know, I don't want to say
we're used to it.
You never want to like getcomfortable with the fact that
you know there's a natural kindof potential disaster on the way
, but you do learn how to dealwith it.
You know you have thosecommunication plans in place.
You make sure that you know youhave all the touch points.
(06:59):
You know something liketraining camp, for example.
It happens in some of thehottest months of the year, and
so we have these systems inplace where, if it's too hot for
people to come outside, we'regoing to text them and tell them
you know practice is postponedor we'll invite them to another
day, things like that.
So it's not just the you know,it's weather of any kind, I
guess but all sorts ofconditions that you have to kind
of be ready for just to makesure that people are safe.
(07:20):
You know, we don't want themtrying to come out to a game if
they shouldn't be, you know outthey should probably be
sheltering or evacuating in somecases, and so you just try to
be responsible, right, like,obviously we're here to put on
the games and to celebrate withour fans, but there are times
when you know certain thingstrump those situations and you
need to kind of make sure thateveryone you know is doing what
(07:42):
they need to do to stay safe.
Damian Bazadona (07:44):
Are there any um?
We talked about the differentmarketing, integrated marketing
across platforms.
Are there any particularplatforms that you're seeing
potential more growth in, or atleast where there's a bigger
focus?
So, for example, internationalor again like new gaming
platforms or new streamingplatforms, but just in terms of,
have you noticed, and whetherit's specific to the Pelicans or
(08:05):
the NBA at large, what do youfeel?
Is there a particularconversation around a particular
trend that you think is goingto impact fandom a little bit in
your world?
Mel Barry (08:14):
I think it kind of depends on, you know, when you
think about in-market people.
We kind of think about them alittle bit differently because
those are, you know, more likelya ticket buyer no-transcript, I
(08:40):
think, you know, as we trydifferent types of technology, I
think one of the interestingthings is you know the tools
that will make differentiterations of a piece of
creative and we can watch howengaging it may be if there's
more photos.
Or red is, you know, performingparticularly well over navy.
You know, like there's thingslike that that we can watch and
learn within our differentaudiences.
When we're doing like A-Btesting these tools and
(09:04):
technologies that either the NBAhas, you know, shared with us
or we've, you know, kind offound our own way with, is that
you can test a lot and you cankind of figure out what's
working and hopefully iterateand give people, you know, the
things that they want and sharethose learnings.
So if we see something isworking in email, chances are we
might try to replicate that insocial or, you know, even maybe
in game, if we're, like peopleare loving you know this
(09:26):
particular application of thebrand or the way that we're
bringing it to life.
Like let's see what that lookslike in an in-game graphic,
because it, you know, it'seyeballs.
So I think there's, you know,kind of depends, but we're
certainly leaning on technologyto, you know, give us insights
about how to best reach and bestcreate the assets that we have
going out into the world.
Damian Bazadona (09:47):
Peter, any questions on your end?
Are you seeing the?
Peter Yagecic (09:50):
folks.
Well, I'm going to sit on myown You're speaking my language
with testing and technology butI am going to ask one of the
questions that came in from oneof our attendees, earlier Mel.
You said you talked about thefact that the social team
doesn't live under the marketingumbrella.
How do you ensure that you haveall the comms in place with
different groups to ensure thatyou're all playing from the same
(10:10):
playbook and I'll put a slightspit on it, especially when it
comes to listening to what thefans are saying?
How does that get?
What's the two-waycommunication?
And do you have any kind ofadvice for teams that are
structured similarly to makesure that everybody's on the
same page?
Mel Barry (10:26):
Yeah, absolutely, I think, because the social team
doesn't necessarily sit directlywithin our department.
I, you know they.
We will sometimes work with ourconsumer insights team to do
social listening and so we'llsay like, hey, what are you
hearing?
You know that sort of thing.
So we may rely on a team foryou know reports and things like
that about you know whether,again, whether it be how content
(10:48):
is, how engaging it is, youknow how many followers we're
gaining, things like that.
So we rely on some of that.
But we do talk directly withthat team, you know, on a daily
basis, really to understand youknow what they're hearing, what
they're seeing.
Again, like, just to bring thebroadcast example back, we were
very intent on understandingwhat are the roadblocks to
people understanding where theycan tune in to Pelican's games
(11:11):
this season, so we can teachthem how to, you know, install
an antenna.
We can't you know somethingthat wasn't part of our
messaging last season but becameimportant how can we, you know,
point them to our streamingservice if they are a cord
cutter?
You know that sort of thing.
And so we listen to, hopefully,the comments and things that
they're hearing from fans,whether it be DMs, you know
reactions, retweets with, youknow, feedback, good or bad and
(11:34):
we want to hear all thatfeedback really and understand
what we're doing well and how wecan improve.
And so that's definitely a cycleand it's something you know we
get not only from our socialteam but, like I would say, you
know, our operations team, whoyou know are involved in
executing our games at the arena, like they're the ones closest
to the fans and they canactually hear what they're
saying.
(11:55):
You know what they're strugglingwith or what they, you know,
are.
Like this is a greatimprovement type of thing.
So I would say, you know,whether we're connected to a
team or not, we really try tounderstand what is going on in
their world so that we can allbe addressing it.
And again, maybe something wefind out at a game is something
we can address on social.
Like the team store has aparticular item and it's only
(12:15):
available here and you didn'tknow that.
So now maybe we address that inour what we call our know
before you go and so, like wesend out certain messages to
fans before they attend a game,and so that could be email, it
could be social, but just tryingto solve for any of the things
(12:38):
that we might hear in any world,even though it might not be
ours.
Peter Yagecic (12:40):
give them the tools they need to get the
message out there.
Fandom Unpacked is brought toyou by Situation, an
award-winning marketing agencybuilt for live entertainment
that champions the power ofunforgettable shared experiences
around the world.
We offer full marketing andcreative services for
experience-based brands in liveentertainment, attractions,
theater, sports, arts andculture, and more.
Check us out atSituationInteractivecom.
Now back to our Q&A.
Damian Bazadona (13:08):
Let's go into the venue and talk a little bit
about your core ticket buyer,how you think about them, right?
So you know whether it'sdemographics or psychographics,
how you think about who they areand how you target them.
And so we represent a range ofsports teams.
We also represent a range oflive event properties and I'm
assuming I know a lot of peopleon this call are trying to
figure out how do you work ifyou're responsible for moving
(13:28):
getting people off their couchin two locations with all the
friction and, by the way, theyget sent home to stream the game
, which isn't a bad thing, butthey're not.
You're not getting to the venue.
How do you think?
Just, I'd love to hear aboutyour how you think about your
core ticket buyer and kind of,how do you, how do you mostly
market and advertise to them?
Just curious what a media mixroughly looks like or be helpful
.
Mel Barry (13:46):
Yeah, absolutely so.
I think we do try to segment asmuch as possible when we think
about what type of fan may wanta particular experience.
And so you know there might bea premium fan who wants an
all-inclusive ticket, right, andso they really want their food
and Bev and their likeeverything to be, you know,
included.
So you've got your phone, youscan your ticket and then you're
(14:07):
done, right, you don't reachinto your pocket anymore because
everything is kind of takencare of and you're just having
this, you know, all-inclusiveexperience.
And then you know some fans maybe driven to the gate by a
giveaway item and so maybe theyfeel like they want, you know,
just kind of that free item atthe gate, or it's a t-shirt or
you know, whatever it may be,they may be really like.
You know that may be the valueadd.
(14:28):
That kind of pushes them overthe edge into buying a ticket or
just showing up.
You know, like, once we soldthe ticket, we also need to
worry about show rate, right,like once you sell it.
That's half the battle.
You want people to come, youknow like, and they, you know,
need to value the experiencethey have and hopefully it's
consistent and it's somethingthat they want to keep doing,
(14:48):
and so you know some otherthings we do are group nights,
and so we've got a sales teamdedicated to thinking about like
niche groups.
So yesterday, for example, wasVeterans Day and so we had a
Veterans Appreciation Night, andso there were certain groups
within you know the communitythat came out military.
You know veteran retiredmilitary, and they were, you
(15:10):
know, treated to some.
You know special experiences,whether it be like a souvenir
item or just, like you know, ahappy hour with people who are
like-minded.
You know, like other people whoare also, you know, in the
military, things like that andso kind of.
You know, bringing community inas well, and so I think you
kind of have to understandwhat's important to each of
those different audiences andfans and what's going to tip
them into not only, you know,buying a ticket, but hopefully
(15:33):
continuing to attend games, andyou know, buy the merch and rep
the team, tune in when we'reaway.
Like you know, you just got totry to hopefully grow that
affinity by understanding theways that they want to
experience the team anddelivering that consistently.
Damian Bazadona (15:49):
How do you break down?
Obviously there's A games,there's B games, there's C games
.
Are you trying to put theheaviest focus on the hard to
sell games or are you trying tomaximize the games that are a
little bit easier to sell?
But we're going to max revenue.
How do you think about?
I think when we did ourpreliminary talk you talked a
little bit like a matrix and I'dlove to kind of just talk
through that a little bit.
I'd love to kind of just talkthrough that a little bit.
Mel Barry (16:10):
Yeah, absolutely, I think you're right.
Like revenue is king, right,like we want to sell tickets and
we want to make sure the gameswith the biggest upside are
packed.
That's, you know, just kind ofa natural goal.
But I think we, you know, havecross-functional teams that kind
of weigh in and so our schedulecomes out in August and then,
you know, we, very quickly, youknow, work with again, our
(16:30):
consumer insights team and ourticket sales team to understand,
you know, and we typically,like we really see it just about
the same time that the fans do.
We get a very short window tolike preview the schedule,
enough time to put it into agraphic, you know, and so, and
proofread it so, so, and that'sa lot of lines.
But so we, you know, once weget that schedule, you know
(16:53):
we're off to the races in termsof determining pricing and
things like that.
So we kind of look at, likegetting the games on sale and
looking at to your point, likedifferent tiers of pricing, and
that may be the opponent, thatmay be the day of week, that may
be is it around a holiday, andwe know that you know it's going
to sell well, because peopleare off, you know, school work,
things like that, and so we lookat all those things.
But then and so we get thetickets on sale and then we also
(17:16):
, you know, then comes the workof, like the nuances for those
particular games.
So you got the pricing kind ofset.
But now you got to talk toagain the group teams.
Like, as soon as we knew we hada game on Veterans Day, we're
like perfect, like that's.
(17:46):
You know, that's where you'regoing to focus your group energy
for your veteran and militarygroups.
There's, we have a game onLunar New Year this year.
So, like a great opportunityfor us to think about our fans
who celebrate Lunar New Year.
Or, you know, great touchpoints for our fans in China and
other places where that we, youknow, we'll plan our themes and
our giveaways and our groupnights kind of around those
priorities.
And so, for example, ourholiday game this year is the
21st, it's a Saturday and we'replaying the Knicks, so if you're
in town, stop by.
But that's a great, you know,it's a great weekend game, it's
(18:07):
a great time to celebrate theholiday right before we think
we're going to have a greatcrowd.
Uh, you know, obviously there'sthose um, you know, marquee
matchups, if you will, that wefocus on that.
You know that's the, the lakers, the celtics.
You know, uh, you know otherrising teams, um, uh, that you
know may have like a star playerthat everyone really wants to
check out and see, and so youfactor that in too.
(18:28):
But again, like, a lot of whatwe are looking at is is the fan
experience in addition to, youknow, the, the, the opponent,
obviously, where we want peopleto come to see the pelicans, uh,
so we're, we're, you know,focusing on your mardi gras,
right, like that's a big game.
Everyone looks forward to thatevery season.
Uh, we do a fan appreciationgame at the end of the season.
That really, um, usually we dolike a festival vibe for that,
(18:50):
because it's Jazz Fest aroundthat time and that's a big, you
know kind of tentpole moment inour own cultural calendar that
has really nothing to do with,you know, anyone else, so that's
a unique one, and so I think,hopefully, people kind of start
to look forward to things likethat as we build up their, you
know, appetite for the way thatwe execute.
So it is really a mix, but yes,I mean, obviously revenue is
(19:12):
king, and then we try to findother ways to, um, you know,
figure out the calendar, causeit's, you know we've got 40 plus
home games.
You know, if you're lucky, yougot more.
So, uh, it's a lot, it's a lotto think about, but you know it
goes.
It goes by so fast, like beforeyou know it.
It's like you know it's Marchand you're like wait a minute,
where you know where did it allgo.
But it's pretty exciting.
(19:34):
Those are the most fun times, Ithink, is when you finally get
the schedule in your hands andyou can plan all that.
And then you know it's really,you know, up to you by then to
get everything in place so thatwhen the season tips off in
October, you know, hopefullyI'll be really like a solid
calendar.
That you know and you iterate.
You know, if we find out thatthe Lakers game is pretty much
sold, then maybe we won't bepushing that in our like
billboards and our paid.
(19:55):
We'll still remind peoplethat's the next game.
But you know, maybe we'reputting all of our paid behind,
whatever our next theme is, orNBA Cup games, because we still
need to move.
You know, inventory.
These are all real things thatare happening right now.
So that's kind of the way we goabout it is like on a, you know
, almost like a weekly basis.
You got to, I mean daily evenyou look at the sales and how
(20:16):
things are going and just kindof, you know, move your
marketing plan around that.
Damian Bazadona (20:21):
Yeah, plus, I'm sure yeah, all the storylines
that happen throughout theseason that you have Cavaliers
are coming to town.
That changes the dynamic and Ican imagine how we helped him
with that.
Oh, did you?
Oh yeah, You're part of thestreak.
Sorry, a lot of these are Peter.
I think we have a question,correct, yeah?
Peter Yagecic (20:40):
Well, and I want to come down to see a game
during festival season because Ibet that it's amazing.
Oh my.
Damian Bazadona (20:45):
God.
Peter Yagecic (20:45):
We did get a question Going back to venue
experience.
What role does technology playin enhancing the fan experience
at Smoothie King Centerespecially and I'm adding kind
of an audible to this to maybeidentify fans that weren't the
ticket buyers and start arelationship with those folks
(21:06):
who maybe came with somebody whobought the ticket?
Or what might there be in thefuture that you're looking
forward to?
Mel Barry (21:12):
No, that's a great question.
I think yeah.
So our ticketing partners varyacross teams as well.
I think the bulk of teams aremaybe Ticketmaster, we're a
SeatGeek team and so I assumeit's very similar across the
different you know ticket, youknow partners, but you know,
once someone buys a ticket,obviously they're kind of in our
system.
(21:32):
But if they transfer thatticket, we do, you know,
typically it's from like oneSeatGeek account to another.
You know that's usually the waypeople like transfer or claim
tickets, and so then that personkind of enters our universe and
so, you know, our ConsumerInsights team is working, you
know, to try and build out sortof profiles, if you will, for
all of our fans and kind ofbucket them and understand what
(21:53):
their behaviors are.
And so we're honestly kind ofin a little bit of a rebuilding
phase with some of our stack, ifyou will like, all the
different pieces that add up tothis hopefully good picture of
what a fan you know has done andwhat they're likely to do.
And so as much as possiblewe're trying to piece that
picture together so that when wedo, you know, have another
(22:14):
touch point with them.
It's, you know, maybe it's asimilar type of game, or it's at
a similar price point or day,or you know, or maybe we're
hitting them with a discount foryou know the team store because
be you know adding on to thatticket and that game experience.
(22:34):
And so I think you know themore that we can put those
things together based on thedata that we either get from you
know SeatGeek and there's allthese.
You know it's obviously there'sa lot of privacy involved too.
So sometimes we're anonymizedand we're just understanding you
know general things aboutpeople, but we work very closely
with the NBA and if someoneidentifies as a Pelicans fan,
for example, sometimes we'resharing data.
(22:54):
Nfl is great about this too.
They've been doing it for along time.
Where they're, you know,building up these, you know
profiles and things like that,and so we, you know, just rely
on all the ways that that datais coming in.
It could be our people who arestreaming the games and you know
we realize that they're in ourmarket.
You know League Pass is a wayto access the games outside of
market, but we have somethingcalled Pelicans Plus and it's
like well, if you're a PelicansPlus subscriber, you're in our
(23:17):
market.
So you know how do we if we seethat maybe you haven't been to
a game.
How can we, you know, enticesome of those people to convert
and come to a game, because it'snot far-fetch those things
together into a broader strategyaround?
You know, hopefully you knowagain, kind of it's.
Maybe it's automated but it'spersonalized, based on you know
(23:39):
the things that we're learningabout people.
Damian Bazadona (23:42):
I just I know we're mindful of time, but one
thing we did not talk about yetthat I'd love to is to talk
about the marketing relationshipto the players themselves.
Yeah, and so obviously you guysare actually dealing with a
bunch of injuries right now,which I'm assuming is
complicated within itself.
What is the relationship to theplayers right In terms of their
and the analogy a lot of folkson this call are in very similar
(24:02):
industries, whether they're insports category or other
categories of like therelationship between the artist,
the athlete, the performer,whatever that might look like to
the brand itself.
What's the relationship like?
How, in terms of the marketingperspective, are you guys on the
road with them or collaborating?
I recognize social media isanother group, but how does that
work within the more?
How does it integrate with themarketing function, the player
relationship in their brands?
Mel Barry (24:22):
Yeah, that's a that's a great question and I have
joined the team on the roadbefore just to kind of
understand again.
You get a feel for them.
They kind of start to know whoyou are, which is important, I
think, so that they can build upsome trust and just familiarity
with other people on the team,because they, you know, for the
most part are interacting withyou know, our basketball
(24:43):
operations team, but people wehave we also have good
relationships with.
So they, you know, there's aplayer development kind of team
that works with them on thethings that are important to
them, you know, in and outsideof basketball, and there's our
PR team and so we have all theserelationships and as much as I
do, you know, want them to kindof know who I am, I rely on
those closer relationships withthem to determine, like, what
(25:04):
that looks like.
And so it's a bit of a chooseyour own adventure.
I would say it's really like,you know, some players are a
little more personal, a littlemore private.
They don't necessarily, youknow, want to have a huge
presence and you know, maybethey're focusing on, like their
brand, you know, which typicallyneeds to be kind of agnostic
from a team, because you knowtheir roster, you know changes
(25:26):
happen, things like that.
So they've kind of got theirbrand.
But I think there's players whoreally want to opt in to, you
know, working with us on contentfor the channels or even, you
know, directly with thecommunity.
So I think we talked aboutbefore.
I said, cj McCollum is a greatexample.
You know, as soon as he cameinto the market and our team,
(25:46):
which was a couple seasons ago,he embraced New Orleans like
wholeheartedly, like he loves,you know, he's always like kind
of showing the organizationappreciation, which is great for
, you know, just morale.
But he also has this programcalled McCollum Scholars and so
he gives college scholarships tostudents within our community
(26:07):
and so you know he worked withour community team.
We have a whole community kindof relationships team that
identified the right, you know,maybe, the right schools, the
right students, the right peoplefor him to you know execute
this program with.
And so, knowing that that wassomething he really wanted to do
, then you know we're kind ofoff to the races, right, we're
like you want to do good, wewant to do good, like let's do
it together.
And so I think you know that'san example.
(26:29):
And then there's also you knowthe, the, you know almost
campaign type things.
So if you think about last year, herb Jones got NBA team all
defense and so that wassomething where he's a humble
guy.
It's not like he was like let'scampaign for me he certainly
did none of that but we werelike we recognize your talent,
(26:53):
this is a, you have a real shotat this.
And so all season long we werekind of collecting content and
stats and like all of this kindof case you know for this.
And so when it came time youknow, kind of the end of the
season, when those types of youknow, determinations are being
made, we had this entire websitebuilt out like showcasing, like
you know just how great he wasand how deserving he was of that
recognition.
Now, he got it because he did,you know.
He got it because he was.
But I think like showing oursupport was like something that
you know just kind of helps withyou know our relationships and
(27:15):
things like that and recognizingthat like we're behind you know
our stars and you know and youknow even the people who may not
necessarily be considered astar, there's still people who
might be doing really goodthings in the community, and so
it's.
You know what are you kind offinding that makes sense from an
organizational standpoint andfrom a player perspective, and
(27:35):
how you want to work together.
Damian Bazadona (27:38):
If I were a professional athlete which I'm
the furthest thing from that itlooks like it would feel like
New Orleans would be an amazingcity to play.
It just seems like the peoplethey get behind their team.
It looks like it's anincredible city on so many
levels that it has to just beand you could tell what a player
it feels like.
You could tell what a playerwants to be there versus when
they don't want to be there,their relationship with the city
(27:59):
.
Um, and I just get the sensethat New Orleans has got to be a
great place to be, to be aprofessional athlete, um.
The last question I have is isat its best, what's the?
How would you describe thefeeling of being in the stadium?
Like when it's lit andeverything, and it feels like
I'm going to an nba game in neworleans and all the people
listening right now on the poton on this webinar, um, when
they come to new orleans,they're going.
(28:20):
What's the pitch to them?
Mel Barry (28:21):
you say, at its best, oh, this is the best part about
being in the stadium yeah, Imean, I would say it's, and I, I
think I kind of think back tothe times that we had, you know,
whether it be theater, liveevents, broadway, you know you
get that moment where justeverything comes together and it
could be like that big, youknow solo, or it could be the
standing ovation, and it couldbe like this moment that just
(28:42):
feels electric, you know, andeveryone is on their feet.
And there's this thing that Ithink I may have mentioned, that
you know, zion has said it andDrew Brees, I think, may have
originated, you know, kind ofthis vibe, but if you love New
Orleans, it'll love you back,and so it feels like this
transfer of energy where you'relike you are loving what's
(29:03):
happening so much and you justfeel it wash over you too.
I think like that's the goal,like if every game could have
that moment where you're likethis is it, you know, like this
is why I'm here, this is why Iwant to come back, this is the
reason, you know, that we're alldoing this.
It's the same thing.
I, you know, think of myself asalmost like backstage, you know
, like I'm the lighting guy, butI'm like, you know, I'm just
(29:24):
kind of helping make thesethings happen, even though I'm
not doing anything that, likeyou know, but I'm hopefully
setting the stage I guessthere's a pun there but for all
of these things to kind ofhappen, because that's when I
feel like we've been successful,like when people can feel and
like love and are, just, youknow, excited.
And I was talking to someoneabout this the other day,
actually, you know, one of thecoolest moments we had, and it
(29:47):
was unfortunate, but a couple ofseasons ago we made a real
strong run at the playoffs andwe were eliminated at home by
the Suns and as our team walkedoff the court standing ovation,
like everyone was just like youknow what we like fought and we
showed up in ways that peopledidn't think we would.
You know, first couple of gamesDevin wasn't even playing you
(30:07):
know Devin Booker and then hewas, and like we're like, yeah,
like we're that kind of teamYou've got to play your stars,
because that's how you know,hard, we want to play and want
to win, and so like I literallyam giving myself goosebumps, but
like it was just such a coolmoment because we were, we were
done Right, but we, we were likeat our peak at that moment in
terms of fandom, because we wereall so proud of what we had
done.
Damian Bazadona (30:27):
Well said.
Peter Yagecic (30:29):
And your goosebumps are contagious?
I wasn't, yeah, and I felt themwhen you described that well
said.
Damian Bazadona (30:34):
Uh, mel, you're a gem.
Peter Yagecic (30:36):
Thank you, I appreciate the time that's gonna
do it for this episode offandom.
Unpacked the podcast.
If you liked what you heard,please be sure to leave us a
review on apple podcasts.
Find out how to join us livefor an upcoming recording at
situationlivecom fan.
We'll see you next time, truebelievers.
Find out how to join us livefor an upcoming recording at
SituationLivecom slash fan.
We'll see you next time, truebelievers.
You're listening to Fandom Unpacked, the podcast.
An audio version of our regularlivestream series where we
unpack modern fandom with someof the brightest minds in sports
and entertainment.
I'm producer Peter Yagecic, andin today's episode, we'll hear
a conversation between our host,Damian Bazadona, CEO and
Founder of Situation Group, andMel Barry, senior director of
brand marketing for the NewOrleans Pelicans.
This was a great conversationabout NBA fandom and local
communities rallying around thehome team.
Here's Damian and Mel.
Damian Bazadona (00:33):
Nice to see everybody.
Mel and I actually go back manyyears and it's just crazy.
We reconnected more recently,but many years back are her days
at Spocko.
I saw a bunch of Spocko peopleon the RCP list.
So, yes, some former folks here, which is awesome.
But let's get into it.
Like, let's.
Obviously I'm a big NBA fanoverall, but tell me what it's
like to be a Pelicans fan.
(00:54):
Like, give me the vibe.
Like, what is it like and howwould you describe it?
Mel Barry (01:17):
Yeah, I think the cool thing about our city is
that you know, if you're here,you love the culture, if you
live here, right, and if you'recoming to visit, you're here to
experience it.
And so we try to, you know,embrace all of the things about,
you know, New Orleans that areamazing, whether it be, you know
, the music, the food, withinour brand, within the ways that
we recognize, whether it be atheme or a holiday or something
like that.
And so I think our view of aPelicans fan is someone who
loves New Orleans, loves theGulf South and wants to join us
(01:38):
in celebrating all the wonderfulthings about it and how we
support each other during all ofthe good times and the bad.
So I think that's somethingthat's, you know, kind of the
vibe of New Orleans in general,and so we try to, you know, keep
that something that we amplifywith the team.
Damian Bazadona (01:53):
Yeah, I was gonna say it seems like the city
is a massive part, just theculture of the city, and I feel
like the Saints had an awesomegame on Sunday which is
obviously the NFL a differentsport altogether, but it's a
sports town.
So I'm assuming that just makesall of New Orleans that much
more happy, which makes themmuch more happy when they go to
the Pelicans game.
Mel Barry (02:11):
Absolutely, I think it's, yeah, it's something that
the city thrives on and they'regreat too.
I mean, obviously you can't winthem all, but when you do,
everyone comes to work with alittle pep in their step.
Um, and then, obviously, withinour organization, um, the
Pelicans are are owned by thesame entity as the Saints, and
so you know, we have a lot ofthe same.
(02:32):
You know, uh, it's, it's a lotmore fun to come in on Monday
after a win, uh, you know, andand if not, you know, it's on to
the next.
Everyone's always reallyfocused on the next game,
whether it be basketball orfootball, but it really
definitely gives you somethingto smile about when you come to
work on Monday that you're inthe dub club again, as you will.
Damian Bazadona (02:51):
Let's build into the Just how you look at
marketing overall, integratedfor the entirety of the Pelicans
brand, because it just seemslike this is the most amazing
NBA, which I think does anincredible job of all of the
different fan touch points thatexist.
From watching game, I mean, wewatch the games here on the NBA.
Pass um between watching thegames, uh, on TV, or streaming
(03:14):
in person, uh, gaming, right, mykids, we play NBA 2k, which
they I still am actually decentat.
I've been playing some versionof NBA and gaming for years, but
collectibles, like my soncollects sports cards and we got
our Zion card and stuff.
I just feel like there's so manydifferent touch points that are
happening at any given momentin time.
(03:34):
How do you and I know this isan impossible question, but it
is important, I'm just trying tounderstand how do you as an
organization sort of stay allinterconnected, because I'm
assuming a massive part of yourrole is selling tickets to the
games, obviously, but all theseother touch points, right,
they're all like whichever touchpoint someone takes is equity
in the brand.
How do you guys think about theoverall integration of all
(03:55):
those moving parts?
Mel Barry (03:57):
No, that's a good question.
I think it's a lot of likecommunication, right, again, we
all have to have the same goalsin mind and priorities so that
we are executing on the samethings and it doesn't feel
disjointed across the different,different channels.
And so some of those thingshappen through, through like
partnerships is what we wouldcall them.
So, for example, our, ourbroadcast partner, the TV
station that has the affiliateswithin our market, that that
(04:19):
broadcasts our games over theair, that's a partnership, and
so we work with them tounderstand how they're promoting
the games and talking abouttune-in, talking about our
players, talking about the team,and so you know they may not be
under our roof but we haveregular, you know, kind of
conversations with them and youknow set out, you know, at the
beginning of the season, thegoals for I mean for this year
is mostly education, because wechanged our broadcast partner
(04:41):
between Bally's and now we'rewith Gray, which is over the air
, and so, anyway, those are thetypes of things that we're, you
know, making sure that from ourend, we're telling our fans,
because they're coming to us forthat information, but then also
the way that they're receivingthat message, whether it be
broadcast or you know, obviously, like the things we can control
are a little bit easier,whether you know, like our
social channels, our website,you know anything that we're
(05:10):
putting in paid we do a lot of.
You know PR, obviously, likereleases, or you know, sending
our folks out into the marketsto talk about the things that
are going on for the team, andso it's just you know it's not
easy for sure, and it, you know,sometimes you have to.
You know, kind of there's firedrills and you're like this is
important today and it wasn'timportant yesterday, right, you
know, kind of there's firedrills and you're like this is
important today and it wasn'timportant yesterday, right, so
everyone's got to be very nimble, but I mean, I think that's
(05:31):
across most sports, right, youjust got to be flexible.
Damian Bazadona (05:31):
You got to understand that there are a lot
of things outside of yourcontrol, and so what you can
control is how you're workingwith the people who are, you
know, putting out these messagesand kind of you know you're
supplying with the right assetsand tools to do that I find, um,
you said the word nimble and Ido think prior to our this
interview, I saw in the weather,like a week ago they said you
guys were buffing it down for amajor tropical storm or
(05:54):
potential hurricane comingthrough on this date, and I just
think of all the different youtalk about, like nimble, I can
only imagine what it's likeinside your offices trying to
navigate on this ongoing basis.
Whether it's a hurricane orit's a player controversy or
whatever it might be.
There's all these differentmoving dynamics which I'm sure
make things fun on a daily basisand no two days are the same.
Mel Barry (06:14):
No, you're absolutely right.
I have never showed up bored.
I have never been like, well,what are we going to?
You know, this fire seemsreally boring and I'm not going
to pay attention to it.
No, there's always something.
Like you said, the weather isone, especially in our market,
and you know there's other teamswho have been impacted by this
as well, like one of ourpreseason games was canceled
because Orlando was under, youknow, a hurricane, a hurricane
(06:37):
warning, and so you know it'scertainly something we kind of
deal with.
But in this region especially,you know, I don't want to say
we're used to it.
You never want to like getcomfortable with the fact that
you know there's a natural kindof potential disaster on the way
, but you do learn how to dealwith it.
You know you have thosecommunication plans in place.
You make sure that you know youhave all the touch points.
(06:59):
You know something liketraining camp, for example.
It happens in some of thehottest months of the year, and
so we have these systems inplace where, if it's too hot for
people to come outside, we'regoing to text them and tell them
you know practice is postponedor we'll invite them to another
day, things like that.
So it's not just the you know,it's weather of any kind, I
guess but all sorts ofconditions that you have to kind
of be ready for just to makesure that people are safe.
(07:20):
You know, we don't want themtrying to come out to a game if
they shouldn't be, you know outthey should probably be
sheltering or evacuating in somecases, and so you just try to
be responsible, right, like,obviously we're here to put on
the games and to celebrate withour fans, but there are times
when you know certain thingstrump those situations and you
need to kind of make sure thateveryone you know is doing what
(07:42):
they need to do to stay safe.
Damian Bazadona (07:44):
Are there any um?
We talked about the differentmarketing, integrated marketing
across platforms.
Are there any particularplatforms that you're seeing
potential more growth in, or atleast where there's a bigger
focus?
So, for example, internationalor again like new gaming
platforms or new streamingplatforms, but just in terms of,
have you noticed, and whetherit's specific to the Pelicans or
(08:05):
the NBA at large, what do youfeel?
Is there a particularconversation around a particular
trend that you think is goingto impact fandom a little bit in
your world?
Mel Barry (08:14):
I think it kind of depends on, you know, when you
think about in-market people.
We kind of think about them alittle bit differently because
those are, you know, more likelya ticket buyer no-transcript, I
(08:40):
think, you know, as we trydifferent types of technology, I
think one of the interestingthings is you know the tools
that will make differentiterations of a piece of
creative and we can watch howengaging it may be if there's
more photos.
Or red is, you know, performingparticularly well over navy.
You know, like there's thingslike that that we can watch and
learn within our differentaudiences.
When we're doing like A-Btesting these tools and
(09:04):
technologies that either the NBAhas, you know, shared with us
or we've, you know, kind offound our own way with, is that
you can test a lot and you cankind of figure out what's
working and hopefully iterateand give people, you know, the
things that they want and sharethose learnings.
So if we see something isworking in email, chances are we
might try to replicate that insocial or, you know, even maybe
in game, if we're, like peopleare loving you know this
(09:26):
particular application of thebrand or the way that we're
bringing it to life.
Like let's see what that lookslike in an in-game graphic,
because it, you know, it'seyeballs.
So I think there's, you know,kind of depends, but we're
certainly leaning on technologyto, you know, give us insights
about how to best reach and bestcreate the assets that we have
going out into the world.
Damian Bazadona (09:47):
Peter, any questions on your end?
Are you seeing the?
Peter Yagecic (09:50):
folks.
Well, I'm going to sit on myown You're speaking my language
with testing and technology butI am going to ask one of the
questions that came in from oneof our attendees, earlier Mel.
You said you talked about thefact that the social team
doesn't live under the marketingumbrella.
How do you ensure that you haveall the comms in place with
different groups to ensure thatyou're all playing from the same
(10:10):
playbook and I'll put a slightspit on it, especially when it
comes to listening to what thefans are saying?
How does that get?
What's the two-waycommunication?
And do you have any kind ofadvice for teams that are
structured similarly to makesure that everybody's on the
same page?
Mel Barry (10:26):
Yeah, absolutely, I think, because the social team
doesn't necessarily sit directlywithin our department.
I, you know they.
We will sometimes work with ourconsumer insights team to do
social listening and so we'llsay like, hey, what are you
hearing?
You know that sort of thing.
So we may rely on a team foryou know reports and things like
that about you know whether,again, whether it be how content
(10:48):
is, how engaging it is, youknow how many followers we're
gaining, things like that.
So we rely on some of that.
But we do talk directly withthat team, you know, on a daily
basis, really to understand youknow what they're hearing, what
they're seeing.
Again, like, just to bring thebroadcast example back, we were
very intent on understandingwhat are the roadblocks to
people understanding where theycan tune in to Pelican's games
(11:11):
this season, so we can teachthem how to, you know, install
an antenna.
We can't you know somethingthat wasn't part of our
messaging last season but becameimportant how can we, you know,
point them to our streamingservice if they are a cord
cutter?
You know that sort of thing.
And so we listen to, hopefully,the comments and things that
they're hearing from fans,whether it be DMs, you know
reactions, retweets with, youknow, feedback, good or bad and
(11:34):
we want to hear all thatfeedback really and understand
what we're doing well and how wecan improve.
And so that's definitely a cycleand it's something you know we
get not only from our socialteam but, like I would say, you
know, our operations team, whoyou know are involved in
executing our games at the arena, like they're the ones closest
to the fans and they canactually hear what they're
saying.
(11:55):
You know what they're strugglingwith or what they, you know,
are.
Like this is a greatimprovement type of thing.
So I would say, you know,whether we're connected to a
team or not, we really try tounderstand what is going on in
their world so that we can allbe addressing it.
And again, maybe something wefind out at a game is something
we can address on social.
Like the team store has aparticular item and it's only
(12:15):
available here and you didn'tknow that.
So now maybe we address that inour what we call our know
before you go and so, like wesend out certain messages to
fans before they attend a game,and so that could be email, it
could be social, but just tryingto solve for any of the things
(12:38):
that we might hear in any world,even though it might not be
ours.
Peter Yagecic (12:40):
give them the tools they need to get the
message out there.
Fandom Unpacked is brought toyou by Situation, an
award-winning marketing agencybuilt for live entertainment
that champions the power ofunforgettable shared experiences
around the world.
We offer full marketing andcreative services for
experience-based brands in liveentertainment, attractions,
theater, sports, arts andculture, and more.
Check us out atSituationInteractivecom.
Now back to our Q&A.
Damian Bazadona (13:08):
Let's go into the venue and talk a little bit
about your core ticket buyer,how you think about them, right?
So you know whether it'sdemographics or psychographics,
how you think about who they areand how you target them.
And so we represent a range ofsports teams.
We also represent a range oflive event properties and I'm
assuming I know a lot of peopleon this call are trying to
figure out how do you work ifyou're responsible for moving
(13:28):
getting people off their couchin two locations with all the
friction and, by the way, theyget sent home to stream the game
, which isn't a bad thing, butthey're not.
You're not getting to the venue.
How do you think?
Just, I'd love to hear aboutyour how you think about your
core ticket buyer and kind of,how do you, how do you mostly
market and advertise to them?
Just curious what a media mixroughly looks like or be helpful
.
Mel Barry (13:46):
Yeah, absolutely so.
I think we do try to segment asmuch as possible when we think
about what type of fan may wanta particular experience.
And so you know there might bea premium fan who wants an
all-inclusive ticket, right, andso they really want their food
and Bev and their likeeverything to be, you know,
included.
So you've got your phone, youscan your ticket and then you're
(14:07):
done, right, you don't reachinto your pocket anymore because
everything is kind of takencare of and you're just having
this, you know, all-inclusiveexperience.
And then you know some fans maybe driven to the gate by a
giveaway item and so maybe theyfeel like they want, you know,
just kind of that free item atthe gate, or it's a t-shirt or
you know, whatever it may be,they may be really like.
You know that may be the valueadd.
(14:28):
That kind of pushes them overthe edge into buying a ticket or
just showing up.
You know, like, once we soldthe ticket, we also need to
worry about show rate, right,like once you sell it.
That's half the battle.
You want people to come, youknow like, and they, you know,
need to value the experiencethey have and hopefully it's
consistent and it's somethingthat they want to keep doing,
(14:48):
and so you know some otherthings we do are group nights,
and so we've got a sales teamdedicated to thinking about like
niche groups.
So yesterday, for example, wasVeterans Day and so we had a
Veterans Appreciation Night, andso there were certain groups
within you know the communitythat came out military.
You know veteran retiredmilitary, and they were, you
(15:10):
know, treated to some.
You know special experiences,whether it be like a souvenir
item or just, like you know, ahappy hour with people who are
like-minded.
You know, like other people whoare also, you know, in the
military, things like that andso kind of.
You know, bringing community inas well, and so I think you
kind of have to understandwhat's important to each of
those different audiences andfans and what's going to tip
them into not only, you know,buying a ticket, but hopefully
(15:33):
continuing to attend games, andyou know, buy the merch and rep
the team, tune in when we'reaway.
Like you know, you just got totry to hopefully grow that
affinity by understanding theways that they want to
experience the team anddelivering that consistently.
Damian Bazadona (15:49):
How do you break down?
Obviously there's A games,there's B games, there's C games
.
Are you trying to put theheaviest focus on the hard to
sell games or are you trying tomaximize the games that are a
little bit easier to sell?
But we're going to max revenue.
How do you think about?
I think when we did ourpreliminary talk you talked a
little bit like a matrix and I'dlove to kind of just talk
through that a little bit.
I'd love to kind of just talkthrough that a little bit.
Mel Barry (16:10):
Yeah, absolutely, I think you're right.
Like revenue is king, right,like we want to sell tickets and
we want to make sure the gameswith the biggest upside are
packed.
That's, you know, just kind ofa natural goal.
But I think we, you know, havecross-functional teams that kind
of weigh in and so our schedulecomes out in August and then,
you know, we, very quickly, youknow, work with again, our
(16:30):
consumer insights team and ourticket sales team to understand,
you know, and we typically,like we really see it just about
the same time that the fans do.
We get a very short window tolike preview the schedule,
enough time to put it into agraphic, you know, and so, and
proofread it so, so, and that'sa lot of lines.
But so we, you know, once weget that schedule, you know
(16:53):
we're off to the races in termsof determining pricing and
things like that.
So we kind of look at, likegetting the games on sale and
looking at to your point, likedifferent tiers of pricing, and
that may be the opponent, thatmay be the day of week, that may
be is it around a holiday, andwe know that you know it's going
to sell well, because peopleare off, you know, school work,
things like that, and so we lookat all those things.
But then and so we get thetickets on sale and then we also
(17:16):
, you know, then comes the workof, like the nuances for those
particular games.
So you got the pricing kind ofset.
But now you got to talk toagain the group teams.
Like, as soon as we knew we hada game on Veterans Day, we're
like perfect, like that's.
(17:46):
You know, that's where you'regoing to focus your group energy
for your veteran and militarygroups.
There's, we have a game onLunar New Year this year.
So, like a great opportunityfor us to think about our fans
who celebrate Lunar New Year.
Or, you know, great touchpoints for our fans in China and
other places where that we, youknow, we'll plan our themes and
our giveaways and our groupnights kind of around those
priorities.
And so, for example, ourholiday game this year is the
21st, it's a Saturday and we'replaying the Knicks, so if you're
in town, stop by.
But that's a great, you know,it's a great weekend game, it's
(18:07):
a great time to celebrate theholiday right before we think
we're going to have a greatcrowd.
Uh, you know, obviously there'sthose um, you know, marquee
matchups, if you will, that wefocus on that.
You know that's the, the lakers, the celtics.
You know, uh, you know otherrising teams, um, uh, that you
know may have like a star playerthat everyone really wants to
check out and see, and so youfactor that in too.
(18:28):
But again, like, a lot of whatwe are looking at is is the fan
experience in addition to, youknow, the, the, the opponent,
obviously, where we want peopleto come to see the pelicans, uh,
so we're, we're, you know,focusing on your mardi gras,
right, like that's a big game.
Everyone looks forward to thatevery season.
Uh, we do a fan appreciationgame at the end of the season.
That really, um, usually we dolike a festival vibe for that,
(18:50):
because it's Jazz Fest aroundthat time and that's a big, you
know kind of tentpole moment inour own cultural calendar that
has really nothing to do with,you know, anyone else, so that's
a unique one, and so I think,hopefully, people kind of start
to look forward to things likethat as we build up their, you
know, appetite for the way thatwe execute.
So it is really a mix, but yes,I mean, obviously revenue is
(19:12):
king, and then we try to findother ways to, um, you know,
figure out the calendar, causeit's, you know we've got 40 plus
home games.
You know, if you're lucky, yougot more.
So, uh, it's a lot, it's a lotto think about, but you know it
goes.
It goes by so fast, like beforeyou know it.
It's like you know it's Marchand you're like wait a minute,
where you know where did it allgo.
But it's pretty exciting.
(19:34):
Those are the most fun times, Ithink, is when you finally get
the schedule in your hands andyou can plan all that.
And then you know it's really,you know, up to you by then to
get everything in place so thatwhen the season tips off in
October, you know, hopefullyI'll be really like a solid
calendar.
That you know and you iterate.
You know, if we find out thatthe Lakers game is pretty much
sold, then maybe we won't bepushing that in our like
billboards and our paid.
(19:55):
We'll still remind peoplethat's the next game.
But you know, maybe we'reputting all of our paid behind,
whatever our next theme is, orNBA Cup games, because we still
need to move.
You know, inventory.
These are all real things thatare happening right now.
So that's kind of the way we goabout it is like on a, you know
, almost like a weekly basis.
You got to, I mean daily evenyou look at the sales and how
(20:16):
things are going and just kindof, you know, move your
marketing plan around that.
Damian Bazadona (20:21):
Yeah, plus, I'm sure yeah, all the storylines
that happen throughout theseason that you have Cavaliers
are coming to town.
That changes the dynamic and Ican imagine how we helped him
with that.
Oh, did you?
Oh yeah, You're part of thestreak.
Sorry, a lot of these are Peter.
I think we have a question,correct, yeah?
Peter Yagecic (20:40):
Well, and I want to come down to see a game
during festival season because Ibet that it's amazing.
Oh my.
Damian Bazadona (20:45):
God.
Peter Yagecic (20:45):
We did get a question Going back to venue
experience.
What role does technology playin enhancing the fan experience
at Smoothie King Centerespecially and I'm adding kind
of an audible to this to maybeidentify fans that weren't the
ticket buyers and start arelationship with those folks
(21:06):
who maybe came with somebody whobought the ticket?
Or what might there be in thefuture that you're looking
forward to?
Mel Barry (21:12):
No, that's a great question.
I think yeah.
So our ticketing partners varyacross teams as well.
I think the bulk of teams aremaybe Ticketmaster, we're a
SeatGeek team and so I assumeit's very similar across the
different you know ticket, youknow partners, but you know,
once someone buys a ticket,obviously they're kind of in our
system.
(21:32):
But if they transfer thatticket, we do, you know,
typically it's from like oneSeatGeek account to another.
You know that's usually the waypeople like transfer or claim
tickets, and so then that personkind of enters our universe and
so, you know, our ConsumerInsights team is working, you
know, to try and build out sortof profiles, if you will, for
all of our fans and kind ofbucket them and understand what
(21:53):
their behaviors are.
And so we're honestly kind ofin a little bit of a rebuilding
phase with some of our stack, ifyou will like, all the
different pieces that add up tothis hopefully good picture of
what a fan you know has done andwhat they're likely to do.
And so as much as possiblewe're trying to piece that
picture together so that when wedo, you know, have another
(22:14):
touch point with them.
It's, you know, maybe it's asimilar type of game, or it's at
a similar price point or day,or you know, or maybe we're
hitting them with a discount foryou know the team store because
be you know adding on to thatticket and that game experience.
(22:34):
And so I think you know themore that we can put those
things together based on thedata that we either get from you
know SeatGeek and there's allthese.
You know it's obviously there'sa lot of privacy involved too.
So sometimes we're anonymizedand we're just understanding you
know general things aboutpeople, but we work very closely
with the NBA and if someoneidentifies as a Pelicans fan,
for example, sometimes we'resharing data.
(22:54):
Nfl is great about this too.
They've been doing it for along time.
Where they're, you know,building up these, you know
profiles and things like that,and so we, you know, just rely
on all the ways that that datais coming in.
It could be our people who arestreaming the games and you know
we realize that they're in ourmarket.
You know League Pass is a wayto access the games outside of
market, but we have somethingcalled Pelicans Plus and it's
like well, if you're a PelicansPlus subscriber, you're in our
(23:17):
market.
So you know how do we if we seethat maybe you haven't been to
a game.
How can we, you know, enticesome of those people to convert
and come to a game, because it'snot far-fetch those things
together into a broader strategyaround?
You know, hopefully you knowagain, kind of it's.
Maybe it's automated but it'spersonalized, based on you know
(23:39):
the things that we're learningabout people.
Damian Bazadona (23:42):
I just I know we're mindful of time, but one
thing we did not talk about yetthat I'd love to is to talk
about the marketing relationshipto the players themselves.
Yeah, and so obviously you guysare actually dealing with a
bunch of injuries right now,which I'm assuming is
complicated within itself.
What is the relationship to theplayers right In terms of their
and the analogy a lot of folkson this call are in very similar
(24:02):
industries, whether they're insports category or other
categories of like therelationship between the artist,
the athlete, the performer,whatever that might look like to
the brand itself.
What's the relationship like?
How, in terms of the marketingperspective, are you guys on the
road with them or collaborating?
I recognize social media isanother group, but how does that
work within the more?
How does it integrate with themarketing function, the player
relationship in their brands?
Mel Barry (24:22):
Yeah, that's a that's a great question and I have
joined the team on the roadbefore just to kind of
understand again.
You get a feel for them.
They kind of start to know whoyou are, which is important, I
think, so that they can build upsome trust and just familiarity
with other people on the team,because they, you know, for the
most part are interacting withyou know, our basketball
(24:43):
operations team, but people wehave we also have good
relationships with.
So they, you know, there's aplayer development kind of team
that works with them on thethings that are important to
them, you know, in and outsideof basketball, and there's our
PR team and so we have all theserelationships and as much as I
do, you know, want them to kindof know who I am, I rely on
those closer relationships withthem to determine, like, what
(25:04):
that looks like.
And so it's a bit of a chooseyour own adventure.
I would say it's really like,you know, some players are a
little more personal, a littlemore private.
They don't necessarily, youknow, want to have a huge
presence and you know, maybethey're focusing on, like their
brand, you know, which typicallyneeds to be kind of agnostic
from a team, because you knowtheir roster, you know changes
(25:26):
happen, things like that.
So they've kind of got theirbrand.
But I think there's players whoreally want to opt in to, you
know, working with us on contentfor the channels or even, you
know, directly with thecommunity.
So I think we talked aboutbefore.
I said, cj McCollum is a greatexample.
You know, as soon as he cameinto the market and our team,
(25:46):
which was a couple seasons ago,he embraced New Orleans like
wholeheartedly, like he loves,you know, he's always like kind
of showing the organizationappreciation, which is great for
, you know, just morale.
But he also has this programcalled McCollum Scholars and so
he gives college scholarships tostudents within our community
(26:07):
and so you know he worked withour community team.
We have a whole community kindof relationships team that
identified the right, you know,maybe, the right schools, the
right students, the right peoplefor him to you know execute
this program with.
And so, knowing that that wassomething he really wanted to do
, then you know we're kind ofoff to the races, right, we're
like you want to do good, wewant to do good, like let's do
it together.
And so I think you know that'san example.
(26:29):
And then there's also you knowthe, the, you know almost
campaign type things.
So if you think about last year, herb Jones got NBA team all
defense and so that wassomething where he's a humble
guy.
It's not like he was like let'scampaign for me he certainly
did none of that but we werelike we recognize your talent,
(26:53):
this is a, you have a real shotat this.
And so all season long we werekind of collecting content and
stats and like all of this kindof case you know for this.
And so when it came time youknow, kind of the end of the
season, when those types of youknow, determinations are being
made, we had this entire websitebuilt out like showcasing, like
you know just how great he wasand how deserving he was of that
recognition.
Now, he got it because he did,you know.
He got it because he was.
But I think like showing oursupport was like something that
you know just kind of helps withyou know our relationships and
(27:15):
things like that and recognizingthat like we're behind you know
our stars and you know and youknow even the people who may not
necessarily be considered astar, there's still people who
might be doing really goodthings in the community, and so
it's.
You know what are you kind offinding that makes sense from an
organizational standpoint andfrom a player perspective, and
(27:35):
how you want to work together.
Damian Bazadona (27:38):
If I were a professional athlete which I'm
the furthest thing from that itlooks like it would feel like
New Orleans would be an amazingcity to play.
It just seems like the peoplethey get behind their team.
It looks like it's anincredible city on so many
levels that it has to just beand you could tell what a player
it feels like.
You could tell what a playerwants to be there versus when
they don't want to be there,their relationship with the city
(27:59):
.
Um, and I just get the sensethat New Orleans has got to be a
great place to be, to be aprofessional athlete, um.
The last question I have is isat its best, what's the?
How would you describe thefeeling of being in the stadium?
Like when it's lit andeverything, and it feels like
I'm going to an nba game in neworleans and all the people
listening right now on the poton on this webinar, um, when
they come to new orleans,they're going.
(28:20):
What's the pitch to them?
Mel Barry (28:21):
you say, at its best, oh, this is the best part about
being in the stadium yeah, Imean, I would say it's, and I, I
think I kind of think back tothe times that we had, you know,
whether it be theater, liveevents, broadway, you know you
get that moment where justeverything comes together and it
could be like that big, youknow solo, or it could be the
standing ovation, and it couldbe like this moment that just
(28:42):
feels electric, you know, andeveryone is on their feet.
And there's this thing that Ithink I may have mentioned, that
you know, zion has said it andDrew Brees, I think, may have
originated, you know, kind ofthis vibe, but if you love New
Orleans, it'll love you back,and so it feels like this
transfer of energy where you'relike you are loving what's
(29:03):
happening so much and you justfeel it wash over you too.
I think like that's the goal,like if every game could have
that moment where you're likethis is it, you know, like this
is why I'm here, this is why Iwant to come back, this is the
reason, you know, that we're alldoing this.
It's the same thing.
I, you know, think of myself asalmost like backstage, you know
, like I'm the lighting guy, butI'm like, you know, I'm just
(29:24):
kind of helping make thesethings happen, even though I'm
not doing anything that, likeyou know, but I'm hopefully
setting the stage I guessthere's a pun there but for all
of these things to kind ofhappen, because that's when I
feel like we've been successful,like when people can feel and
like love and are, just, youknow, excited.
And I was talking to someoneabout this the other day,
actually, you know, one of thecoolest moments we had, and it
(29:47):
was unfortunate, but a couple ofseasons ago we made a real
strong run at the playoffs andwe were eliminated at home by
the Suns and as our team walkedoff the court standing ovation,
like everyone was just like youknow what we like fought and we
showed up in ways that peopledidn't think we would.
You know, first couple of gamesDevin wasn't even playing you
(30:07):
know Devin Booker and then hewas, and like we're like, yeah,
like we're that kind of teamYou've got to play your stars,
because that's how you know,hard, we want to play and want
to win, and so like I literallyam giving myself goosebumps, but
like it was just such a coolmoment because we were, we were
done Right, but we, we were likeat our peak at that moment in
terms of fandom, because we wereall so proud of what we had
done.
Damian Bazadona (30:27):
Well said.
Peter Yagecic (30:29):
And your goosebumps are contagious?
I wasn't, yeah, and I felt themwhen you described that well
said.
Damian Bazadona (30:34):
Uh, mel, you're a gem.
Peter Yagecic (30:36):
Thank you, I appreciate the time that's gonna
do it for this episode offandom.
Unpacked the podcast.
If you liked what you heard,please be sure to leave us a
review on apple podcasts.
Find out how to join us livefor an upcoming recording at
situationlivecom fan.
We'll see you next time, truebelievers.
Find out how to join us livefor an upcoming recording at
SituationLivecom slash fan.
We'll see you next time, truebelievers.
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